Pet dogs were banned in Reykjavík, Iceland…

Pet dogs were banned in Reykjavík, Iceland for sixty years. Even today, owning a pet dog there requires special permits, hence cats are the pet of choice. The dog ban was issued in 1924, at a time when the population of Iceland was overwhelmingly rural and Reykjavík was still a small, but rapidly growing fishing […]

The shrine buildings at Ise, Shinto’s holiest site…

The shrine buildings at Ise, Shinto’s holiest site, are torn down & rebuilt every 20yrs in line with the belief in the impermanence of all things & as a way to pass building techniques across generations. The buildings have existed for ~1300yrs; the 63rd rebuilding occurs in 2033. 00